Robert Benedict Long, 81, of Burlington, died Thursday, April 16, 2026, at the Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center in West Burlington.
Born January 26, 1945, in Burlington, he was the son of Robert Kenneth and Mary Minetta Ostertag Long. On April 3, 1969, he married Maxine Mae Nichols in Augusta, Iowa. She died on Feb. 3, 2003. After reconnecting, he married Linda Lorraine Leffler on October 31, 2008, during the 7 a.m. Mass at SS. Mary and Patrick Catholic Church in West Burlington.
He was a 1963 graduate of Notre Dame High School.
Bob worked as a forklift driver at JI Case for 32 years until his retirement.
He was a faithful member of Divine Mercy Parish and took part in the Knights of Columbus as well as several prayer groups. Praying the rosary three times a day was an important part of his routine. Bob had a lifelong passion for trains and built an impressive model train display. In his free time, he enjoyed woodworking projects and relaxing with westerns or mystery shows.
Survivors include his wife, Linda; daughter, Nickey (Tony Broeker) Long of Burlington; granddaughter, Anjali (Kevin) Deitrick of Waterloo; six step-children, Marlayna (Doug) Rogers of West Burlington, Tim (Tanty) Pfeiff of Jacksonville, FL, Terra Waggener of Burlington, Andrew Pfeiff of Lincoln, NE, Matthew (Jennifer) Ammirati of Williamsburg, and Mark (Taylor) Ammirati of Cary, NC; many step-grandchildren and step-greatgrandchildren; sister, Christina (Richard) Murphy of Burlington; four nieces, Ann (Bill) Fort, Amy (Jim) Sterler, all of Burlington, Beth Runyan of Roseberg, OR, and Jennifer Simonds of Lebanon, OR; two nephews, Terry (Sylvia) Schnicker of Geneva, IL, and Jason Schnicker of Lebanon, OR and his sweet dog, LaTisha.
Besides his first wife, Maxine, he was preceded in death by his parents, brother, Samuel Long and sister, Joanna Schnicker.
Visitation will be from noon until 6 p.m. with the family to receive friends following a 3 p.m. Rosary Service until 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at Prugh Funeral Service, 3940 Division Street.
The Funeral Mass of the Resurrection for Mr. Long will be 10 a.m., Thursday, April 23, 2026, at Divine Mercy Parish-St. John the Baptist Catholic Church with Fr. Jake Greiner as the Celebrant. Burial will be in Sacred Heart Cemetery. A time of food and fellowship will be held at St. John's Cafeteria following the burial.
A memorial has been established for Divine Mercy Parish.